Artist and English teacher Jonny Kemp explores the route to Croydon from Crystal Palace, called Crocry, drawing famous people who worked or lived nearby
This story is part of our Tales from a Slow Way series, funded by the Pilgrim Trust. Each Tales award includes a contribution to the organisation as well as a project fee to the creative. The contribution for this project went to People for Portland Road, a community action group for South Norwood
By Jonny Kemp
Croydon does not have the best reputation, but it is due to the work of community groups and artists that this is beginning to change.
In the brief for this project, Slow Ways said “We are especially keen on seeding stories that will help strengthen and create community; stories that are inclusive and diverse. We want to do this to better understand and illustrate the variety of ways people see and connect with Slow Ways.”
Taking this as my cue, and building on the success of my ‘South Drawood’ project, where I drew 35 portraits of residents of SE25, I decided to tell the stories of more famous names and faces who have lived on or close to the Slow Ways walking route that connects Crystal Palace and Croydon, Crocry one.
Most of these people are probably well known, especially to locals. In an effort to reflect the diversity of the area, some potential faces have been left out: for example, I have not included Emile Zola or Camille Pissaro, French artists who came to the area to flee the Franco-Prussian War. I am also aware that there are not enough women represented here, but would love to hear about women of note we think should be represented! There are also more Victorian men than I would like – though William Stanley’s influence on South Norwood is too great to ignore.
Other than this, I have tried to celebrate a diverse group of subjects, whose connections to the area are unique and varied. The final thing I would say is that I have focused on each person’s link to the area – I have not included less savoury aspects of their lives. This is a great conflict: to what extent do these aspects of someone’s life matter? Should this affect how we see them, and their achievements? We are all human, none of us perfect. The thing that struck me, however, was how many of these people converted their success and experiences into charitable and philanthropic action, which is certainly worth celebrating.
Remarkable people
Here are 13 notable people who lived or worked near Crocry, their biographies and portraits.
Bob Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981)
Bob Marley and the Wailers played at the Crystal Palace Bowl on 7th June 1980. It was the last time he performed in London, and his largest UK gig.
Originally built in Crystal Palace Park as part of the Pageant of London during the Festival of Empire in 1911, the Bowl saw several famous acts perform on its stage, including Elton John, the Beach Boys, Lou Reed and Eric Clapton. It forms a natural amphitheatre and so has fantastic acoustics but, until the 1970s, had only hosted classical concerts. It is now known affectionately/disparagingly as ‘the rusty laptop’ due to its redesign in 1997, and the years of neglect that followed.
Marley was the last major artist to perform there. Financing such big names had been difficult as the venue could only officially host 15,000 people (compared to Wembley’s 90,000). Marley, however, apparently drew a crowd of about 30,000.
Chris Bohn reviewed the concert for the NME: “It was a really good place to go for music… I’d seen Bob Marley a few times and his concerts were really something. But there seemed to be a tiredness about his performance that day. Maybe in retrospect it had something to do with his illness.”
Marley died of cancer-related complications less than a year after the concert. He was about to release ‘Uprising’ at the time of the Crystal Palace gig, his final studio album. His performance included an acoustic version of ‘Redemption Song’, which would go on to become one of Marley’s most well-known songs.
The plaque marking the performance is the first to commemorate Marley or the Wailers south of the Thames.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (8 February 1807 – 27 January 1894)
Artist, sculptor, and zoological lecturer, Hawkins is known for sculpting the dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park.
The dinosaurs were commissioned after the Crystal Palace itself, which was built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, was moved to Upper Norwood from Hyde Park. Hawkins was appointed assistant superintendent of the Great Exhibition, and collaborated with Sir Richard Owen, who estimated the dinosaurs’ size and shape. Famously, Owen hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner inside the mould of the Iguanodon on 31st December 1853.
Hawkins built the models in his workshop in the park, full size in clay, from which a mould was taken for them to be cast in concrete. Larger sculptures are hollow with brick interiors. There was also a limestone cliff to illustrate different geological strata. The sculptures and the geological displays were known as the ‘Geological Court’, in line with other exhibits made for the park that reconstructed historic art, including the Renaissance, Assyrian, and Egyptian Courts.
We now know that, sadly, the depictions of the dinosaurs are wildly inaccurate, due to the few remains of these animals that Hawkins had to work from. They were more likely to look at more familiar animals, like crocodiles or lizards, and blow these up to the size of the prehistoric creatures.
After some years of neglect, starting when the Crystal Palace burnt down in 1936, the sculptures were renovated in 2001, and were awarded Grade 1 listed status in 2007.
There is a blue plaque at 22 Belvedere Road, commemorating where Hawkins lived between 1856 and 1872.
Ira Aldridge (24 July 1807 – 7 August 1867)
Ira Aldridge was an African American actor who achieved international fame for his performances in Shakespearean roles during the 19th century, breaking significant racial barriers in the theatre world.
Born in New York City, his passion for theatre was kindled by attending performances at the African Grove Theatre, one of the first Black theatres in America. Despite facing pervasive racism and limited opportunities in the USA, Aldridge was determined to pursue an acting career. At the age of 17 he emigrated to the UK, seeking greater freedom and opportunities.
Aldridge’s British debut came in 1825, playing Othello at London’s Royal Coburg Theatre (now the Old Vic), the first black actor to play this character professionally.
Early reviews were mixed, with negative critiques inevitably commenting on his race. The Times described him as “baker-kneed and narrow-chested with lips so shaped that it is utterly impossible for him to pronounce English”. However, the actor Edmund Kean praised his portrayal of Othello, and he became known as the ‘African Roscius’, after the famed actor of ancient Rome.
Throughout his career, Aldridge toured extensively across Europe, performing in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Russia. At the end of a performance, Aldridge would speak to the audience on a variety of social issues, particularly pro-abolitionist sentiments, for which he was widely celebrated.
Aldridge bought 5 Hamlet Road, in the prosperous suburbs of Upper Norwood, London, in 1861, shortly before becoming a naturalised British citizen in 1863. It was where his wife, Margaret, and later his second wife, Amanda, brought up their children.
Aldridge died in 1867 in Łódź, Poland, where he is buried. His house in Hamlet Road is adorned with a blue plaque.
Stormzy (born 26 July 1993)
Stormzy, born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. on July 26, 1993, is a grime and hip-hop artist. Stormzy grew up in South Norwood, and attended Stanley Tech (now the Harris Academy). Stormzy has said about his school years: “I was a very naughty child, on the verge of getting expelled, but I wasn’t a bad child; everything I did was for my own entertainment. But when I went into an exam I did really well.” He got six A*s, three As, and five Bs for his GCSEs, but then only achieved a “humbling” ABCDE on his A Levels: “For someone who would cuss in class, it was A Levels that showed me that in life you need work ethic.” He has gone back to his old school to visit current students on results day.
His breakthrough came with the release of the single “Shut Up,” which became a viral hit and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The video was filmed around South Norwood Lake. His 2019 album, “Heavy is the Head” (2019) also topped the charts and solidified his status as a prominent artist. He headlined Glastonbury in the same year, the first black British rapper to do so.
Stormzy is a vocal advocate for social justice and education. He launched the Stormzy Scholarship for black students at the University of Cambridge and is known for his activism and philanthropy. During his Glastonbury performance, he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy, in light of the rise in knife crime in London.
He launched the Stormzy Scholarship for black students at the University of Cambridge and is known for his activism and philanthropy
He says of growing up in South Norwood and his musical influences: “My generation, me and my friends, we grew up on grime… Everyone else was older than us but I’d go on the mic and clash whole crews… I’d be talking about their mums and all that. I remember people saying ‘This little yout’s hard!’ Any opportunity to spit, I’d spit. I’ve always had that hunger.”
He is known to still visit Bluejay Café on Portland Road, saying “The Caribbean breakfast was the thing… It’s a classic. Perfect for hangovers.”
William Ford Robinson Stanley (2 February 1829 – 14 August 1909)
William Stanley was an inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist. Born in Islington, Stanley had a brief apprenticeship as an architect, then transitioned into making precision instruments. In 1854, he founded his own company, William F. Stanley and Co., specialising in the production of high-quality scientific and surveying instruments.
Stanley was a prolific inventor, holding 78 patents for his inventions. His designs were known for their accuracy and ease of use, setting new standards in the industry. His patents include: Wire Bicycle Spokes (1849), Circular Saw Bench (1874), Buffer for the Prevention of Collisions on Land and Water (1885), Press for Rendering Steaks Tender (1886), Machine for Automatically Measuring People’s Height (1886), and Improvements in Lemon Squeezers (1889).
His patents include: Wire Bicycle Spokes, Machine for Automatically Measuring People’s Height, and Improvements in Lemon Squeezers
Stanley was also a dedicated philanthropist, and was deeply committed to education and training in the technical fields. In 1904, he founded the Stanley Technical Trade School in South Norwood (now the Harris Academy where Stormzy went) to provide practical training and education for boys in engineering and technical trades.
Stanley was a member of several professional bodies, including the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Astronomical Association. Besides this, he was a painter, musician and photographer, as well as an author of plays, books for children, and political treatises. How did these Victorian men find the time?
After his death, his company moved to New Eltham, only going into liquidation in 1999. He is remembered now through Stanley Arts, and the clocktower on South Norwood High Street, built in 1907 with money raised by local people to celebrate Stanley’s golden wedding anniversary with his wife Eliza.
Ethel Fennings (1876 – 1955)
Ethel Fennings was a suffragist and social reformer. She joined the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), a leading organisation campaigning for women’s right to vote, founded by Emmeline Pankhurst.
Fennings lived at 149 Croydon Road and, along with suffragette Mary Pearson (born 1871), stood at the foot of the Clocktower in South Norwood to advocate for women’s suffrage. Pearson was active in the Women’s Freedom League, and was imprisoned in 1908 ‘for nuisance’ through her attempts to gain an interview with Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The suffragists were exclusively peaceful, whereas the suffragettes believed in using direct action. (Unfortunately, I could not source a photo of Mary Pearson! If anyone can find one, please let me know!)
Fennings regularly wrote letters to Norwood News, a local newspaper advocating the right of women to vote, and advertised the times when she would be standing at the Clocktower. From ‘The Vote’, a journal advocating for women’s suffrage, Saturday, 29 June 1912:
“Our venture last Friday proved quite a success. At 6.30pm, we drove in a carriage decorated with pennons, our local banner and posters of Mrs Despard, to South Norwood clock, where Miss Ethel Fennings made a short speech and appeal. Contributions were made to the £1,000 fund and then we returned to our usual pitch at Penge. Mrs Bigger and Miss Fennings addressed a large and interested crowd and we collected more money, besides selling The Vote.
Mrs Legge will be the speaker at Penge next week at 7.30pm and Miss Ethel Fennings at South Norwood clock on Tuesday, July 2 at 6.30pm.”
Two plaques commemorating Fennings and Pearson were installed on the side of Costa Coffee, Selhurst Road, adjacent to the Clocktower. They are the first two women ever to be commemorated on blue plaques in Croydon.
Tony Collins (19 March 1926 – 8 February 2021)
The footballer Tony Collins is widely accepted as Crystal Palace FC’s first black player.
Born in Kensington, Collins was adopted by his maternal grandparents and grew up near Portobello Road. A promising schoolboy footballer, he played for local club Acton United and was due to sign for Brentford until he was called up for military service during the Second World War.
Collins began his professional playing career as a winger after being spotted playing during his time in the army in Italy, signing with Sheffield Wednesday in 1952. Although his time at Sheffield Wednesday was brief, he went on to play for several clubs, including York City, Watford, Norwich City, and Crystal Palace. Over his career, Collins amassed over 300 appearances in the Football League and scored 47 goals.
He signed for Crystal Palace on £14 a week (with a £3 appearance bonus) and went on to play in 61 games for them before leaving for Rochdale.
He signed for Crystal Palace on £14 a week (with a £3 appearance bonus) and went on to play in 61 games for them before leaving for Rochdale
He managed Rochdale between 1960 and 1967, becoming the first black manager in the Football League and leading them to the 1962 Football League Cup Final.
Collins said: “I’m very proud to have got the job at Rochdale. Just to be a manager of your own club is a great achievement. However bad you want it, most people don’t achieve it – and [I was proud] to prove myself as a manager in real tough circumstances.
“I had the whole club behind me; the players wanted me to put in for the job, [departing manager] Jack Marshall did and so did the board – an unusual set of circumstances that may not present themselves again for someone else.”
“It’s very difficult – obviously you shouldn’t get the job or be ruled out because of the colour of your skin.”
Wilfried Zaha (born 10th November 1992)
Wilfried Zaha, born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, moved to London with his family at a young age. He was educated at Whitehorse Manor Junior School, Thornton Heath and Selsdon High School. He joined the Crystal Palace Academy at the age of 12, and secured a place in the first team by 2010.
Zaha’s successful early career at Crystal Palace earned him a transfer to Manchester United in 2013. In 2015, Zaha returned to Crystal Palace on a permanent basis and established himself as the team’s star player. He went on to score 72 goals in 315 appearances for the club over the next nine seasons, becoming the club’s tenth-highest all-time goalscorer, and their highest ever goalscorer in the Premier League, helping to establish the club in the top-flight before departing for Galatasaray in 2023.
Internationally, Zaha initially represented England at youth levels and made two appearances for the senior team. However, in 2016, he switched allegiance to his birth country, and has since been an important player for the national team.
Zaha says: “Since I started playing when I got a proper, decent contract [he is on at least £7 million a year] I’ve been giving 10% of my wages back. My sister has got an orphanage but I kind of take care of it, so it comes under the umbrella of my foundation. It takes care of orphans, it takes care of widows with kids if they can’t afford school clothes or school equipment. I’ve tried my best to do what I can.
“I’ve got a little football academy that I’ve started here. Kids can come down and just enjoy playing football. It’s every half-term or Easter break. Every now and then I’ll pop by to see the kids as well. I think compared to other people’s academies it’s just started, but I know the possibilities are endless. Hopefully I can get massive and loads of kids go there.”
He is celebrated by a mural right next to Crystal Palace’s home ground of Selhurst Park.
William Walker (1869 – 1918)
William Walker was a diver renowned for his efforts in underwater construction and repair. Born in Newington, Walker trained as a diver and became an expert in underwater construction techniques.
Walker’s most notable work began in 1906 when Winchester Cathedral was found to be sinking due to waterlogged foundations: the cathedral faced potential collapse. Traditional methods to resolve the issue proved ineffective, and the urgent need for a solution led to Walker being called upon for his expertise.
Over the next six years, Walker worked tirelessly in perilous conditions to stabilise the cathedral’s foundations. Wearing a heavy diving suit and helmet, he worked underwater in darkness, often by touch alone. Between 1906 and 1911, working in water up to a depth of six metres (20 feet), he shored up Winchester Cathedral, using more than 25,800 bags of concrete, 114,900 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks. His meticulous and dangerous work involved spending up to six hours a day underwater, and his efforts were crucial in saving the cathedral.
Wearing a heavy diving suit and helmet, he worked underwater in darkness, often by touch alone, spending up to six hours a day underwater. his efforts were crucial in saving the cathedral
During the latter part of his time working at Winchester, Walker cycled home 70 miles to South Norwood at weekends, returning by train on the Monday.
Walker also worked as foreman in charge of the construction of naval docks in Gibraltar, assisted in a rescue when the River Level Colliery in Wales flooded, and worked on the construction of the Blackwall Tunnel, 1891–1897.
Walker died in 1918 when he succumbed to the Spanish flu pandemic. A statue commemorating William Walker stands at Winchester Cathedral and a plaque, designed by the People for Portland Road community group, marks his house at 118 Portland Road, South Norwood.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930)
Born in Edinburgh, the man most famous for writing the Sherlock Holmes stories lived in South Norwood between 1891 and 1894 with his first wife, Louisa.
Some of the Holmes stories are set in Croydon, such as The Adventure of the Norwood Builder. This tale follows John Hector McFarlane, a young lawyer accused of murdering Jonas Oldacre, a wealthy builder from Norwood. Oldacre’s charred remains are found in his home, and incriminating evidence, including a bloody thumbprint, seems to point directly to McFarlane. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Holmes doubts McFarlane’s guilt. It is one of the few Holmes stories where a fingerprint provides a useful clue.
Some of the locations referenced are ambiguous: Oldacre’s residence is referred to as “Lower Norwood,” which might have indicated what is now West Norwood. However, the story was written after this period, and Oldacre is said to live in “Deep Dene House, at the Sydenham end of the road of that name.” While this could refer to South Norwood, the only clear link is Norwood Junction railway station, which Oldacre uses. McFarlane spends the night at The Anerley Arms, a pub that still exists, next to Anerley Station.
Trying to deter publishers from requesting more Holmes stories, Doyle raised his fees, only to find they were willing to pay, making him one of the highest-paid authors of his time
Around this time, Conan Doyle wrote to his mother expressing his desire to kill off Holmes, saying, “I think of slaying Holmes… and winding him up for good and all.” His mother replied, “You won’t! You can’t! You mustn’t!” Trying to deter publishers from requesting more Holmes stories, Doyle raised his fees, only to find they were willing to pay, making him one of the highest-paid authors of his time. In December 1893, Doyle decided to eliminate Holmes and his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, by having them both fall to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls in The Final Problem. However, public demand for Holmes’s return was overwhelming, so he was resurrected in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901).
A plaque to Conan Doyle is on the front of his old house, at 12 Tennison Road.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 – 1 September 1912)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor who gained acclaim in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in Holborn to a Sierra Leonean father, Daniel Peter Hughes Taylor, and an English mother, Alice Hare Martin. They were not married, and Daniel had returned to Africa without learning that Alice was pregnant. He was named after the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge. In 1887 Alice married George Evans, a railway worker, and lived in Croydon.
At 15, Coleridge-Taylor enrolled at the Royal College of Music. Under the tutelage of renowned composer Charles Villiers Stanford, he honed his craft and demonstrated exceptional skill in composition. His early works, such as the ‘Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor’, garnered critical praise and set the stage for his future success.
After completing his degree, he became a professional musician. He was appointed a professor at the Crystal Palace School of Music and began conducting the orchestra at the Croydon Conservatoire.
His most famous work, ‘Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast’ (1898), part of a trilogy based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem ‘The Song of Hiawatha’, led him to international fame.
Throughout his career, Coleridge-Taylor was an advocate for black musicians and composers, drawing inspiration from his African heritage. He toured the United States, where he met prominent African American leaders and performed with the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Coleridge-Taylor was 37 when he died of pneumonia. His death is often attributed to the stress of his financial situation. He was buried in Bandon Hill Cemetery, Wallington.
He was the first black recipient of a blue plaque, which was erected on his former home at 30 Dagnall Park, South Norwood, in 1975.
Kate Moss (born 16 January 1974)
Kate Moss, British supermodel and fashion icon, was born and raised in Croydon. ‘Discovered’ at the age of 14 by Sarah Doukas, founder of Storm Model Management, Moss quickly rose to fame in the early 1990s.
Moss became the face of the ‘heroin chic’ fashion trend, characterised by her (unhealthily) thin figure, pale skin, and androgynous appearance, which contrasted sharply with the curvaceous models of the 1980s. Her breakthrough came with a Calvin Klein campaign in 1993, where her partnership with the brand solidified her status as a fashion superstar.
Throughout her career, Moss has graced the covers of countless magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and W, and has worked with the world’s leading designers and photographers. She has worked for brands like Chanel, Dior, and Alexander McQueen, and her influence extends beyond modelling to fashion design and entrepreneurship. In 2012, she came second on the Forbes top-earning models list, with estimated earnings of $9.2 million in one year, and a £1.5m 18 carat gold statue was made of her, sculpted in 2008 for a British Museum exhibition.
She is the daughter of Linda Rosina Moss (née Shepherd), a barmaid, and Peter Edward Moss, an airline employee, and was raised in Addiscombe and Sanderstead. She attended Ridgeway Primary School and Riddlesdown High School (now Riddlesdown Collegiate) in Purley.
She said: “As far as growing up in Croydon went, it wasn’t a time I look back on longingly, certainly not so much as the place itself. I was keen to get away.
“There is definitely a part of me that misses the innocence of it all, but not the place.” Of her modelling career, she has said: “I was, like, a child when I started. I was 14. If it hadn’t happened, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I would be in Croydon, working in a bar, probably.”
DH Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930)
David Herbert Lawrence was a novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter, famous for his novels The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. He was the son of a coal miner and a schoolteacher, and was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.
Between 1902 and 1906, Lawrence worked as a ‘pupil-teacher’ (a kind of teaching apprentice) at the British School, Eastwood. He went on to become a full-time student and received a teaching certificate from University College, Nottingham.
In 1908, Lawrence moved to Croydon to take up a teaching position at Davidson Road School. This marked his first independent venture away from his native Nottinghamshire and the mining communities that had deeply impacted his formative years.
During his stay in Croydon, Lawrence lived in Addiscombe, a comparatively busy area that contrasted sharply with the rural landscapes of his youth. Despite his teaching responsibilities, Lawrence was prolific in his writing. He completed his first novel, ‘The White Peacock’, during this period and continued to work on what would become ‘Sons and Lovers’, a novel concerning a male protagonist and his relationship with his mother, as well as two other women.
Despite the difficulties he may have found in teaching so far from home, “he was dedicated and innovative – he encouraged the boys to act out The Tempest rather than sitting at their desks reading it”, as described by the headmaster.
A plaque at 12 Colworth Road marks the house where Lawrence lodged during his time in Croydon.
Jonny Kemp is an English teacher, who has lived in South Norwood for 6 years. He has a deep interest in the history of his local area, and has volunteered with local community groups. He regularly goes into Croydon and Crystal Palace, where he attends life drawing classes and has exhibited his work at an arts café. It’s important to Jonny that his work makes a positive difference to people’s lives, whether that’s his teaching or portraiture. To find out more about Jonny and his work, visit his website.
In 2023 we launched ‘Tales from a Slow Way’, an annual community stories initiative that enabled us to commission creatives and community groups to work together to produce original stories and content situated around Slow Ways walking routes. Each award included a donation to the organisation as well as a project fee to the creative.
Together, the awarded projects map the sheer diversity of walkers across the UK and highlight the importance of forging new paths.This year’s ten awardees were supported with funding from the Pilgrim Trust. This project is in partnership with our friends, All the Elements and The Outsiders Project.
Click here to find out more about our Tales from a Slow Ways project! Why not sign up to walk and review Slow Ways. You can also find and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.